fh_trips | Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia, Tuesday Morning

While both snorkeling and kite surfing held some appeal, perhaps for later or another day of the trip entirely, Irene was spending today stretched out sleepily on the beach in style. (Probably for the best she wasn't considering kite surfing in that, actually.)

She had a book and a glass of something spritzy, but both were mostly props, since she found the sun made her drowsy. (Never fear; she had set an alarm so she wouldn't burn as she dozed on a lounger.)

Edited 2023-02-21 12:52 (UTC)

None of the day's excursions held a great deal of appeal for Amaya, who debated still going on one or two of them anyway, because it was this early in the trip that she would start getting a little....itchy, from the lack of work.

She supposed she could just stick around the villa and work on some brainstorming, but, look at that, she found herself, instead, reluctantly squeezing into that plain but trusty swimsuit of hers with a wrap, and walking along the beach, another proudly procured meat-on-a-stick in hand.

Until she wasn't, because she was plopping down into a lounger next to Irene.

"Irene."

That voice, no matter how sleepy Irene was, would generally be enough to rouse her interest immediately, and thus Irene blinked behind her sunglasses and smiled over at Amaya and her meat-upon-a-stick. (Adorable.)

"Amaya," she replied, doing her utmost to just mimic Amaya's tone and cadence right back at her. "You didn't go on the waterfall hike thingie?"

That was the one she would have bet on, in terms of one needing something to occupy oneself on holiday. (Irene soundly did not have that issue.)

Give Amaya a culture with a good appreciate for a meat-on-a-stick, and you have a very happy Amaya.

An Amaya that was also shifting to lean back in the lounger, and, dare we say it?, making herself comfortable.

"Trekking through the jungle to be eaten alive by bugs just to look at some water falling over some rocks?" She snorted. "I'll pass. I've still got some ideas percolating from yesterday's hike, anyway."

Well, with Amaya making herself comfortable, Irene was definitely going back to neither her nap nor her book. Not when she could shift up to look over a little better (and, honestly, probably do herself a bit of good re: that potential sunburn, anyway.) "Are you planning to draw some crafting inspiration from the local motifs and wildlife? Or other ideas?"

She heartily agreed about the waterfall, by the by. Nature was boring. Too few people to watch.

"Wildlife's not a bad idea, actually," Amaya admitted, with a faint tilt of her head in consideration, "but mostly the first one. The tools, the architecture, the native weapons and how they've developed through the ages..."

Where they might do some good from a few strategically placed barbs and spikes...

She waved a hand, dismissively, lest she bore Irene with the details, which was clearly a frequent problem, after all.

"That sort of thing."

Oh, yes, Irene was so bored, as she so often was! Look at how she'd...abandoned her book and nap and sat up to take more interest of Amaya. All hallmarks of being bored!

"See, that all sounds very historical," Irene noted, leaning her chin in a hand. "But I bet you could work -- I don't know, feathers and leaves and flowers and whatnot into designs, too. Market the lot under a limited spring break series, something like that."

Holiday was not for working, no, but it was still a great time to discuss money-making opportunities.

Amaya truly did not know the meaning of the word holiday.

"You know," she realized, head tilted, chin in hand, "it has been a hot minute since I put out some good bow work, and I am a fairly fetching fletcher, if I do say so myself. Birds around here could definitely inspire quite the set..."

"You're the most fetching fletcher I've ever met," Irene told her sincerely, having...possibly never seen Amaya in action as far as this particular medium. Irrelevant. "And see, what's nice -- you can snag a photobook or postcards from the shop and still do just fine with that for reference back home, without possibly contracting malaria in the jungle today just to see a cockatoo in person."

And don't mind, while they were discussing business back home, the way Irene gave Amaya a curious little once-over. (And given the shades, it might have been hard to tell, but it wasn't quite the same as how she'd been once-overing Amaya for the past week and change, like she was a steak or an oasis in the desert, or the like. She had, amazingly, gotten herself a bit under control here.) "Big, non-jungly plans for the day, then?"

Because Irene would treat her to a barrage of skin treatments and a pedicure at the spa so fast....

There was....a pause, with a thoughtful nibble on her satay, the thoughtful, nibbling pause of a person who knew they were staring right into the abyss of something potentially very, very dangerous.

"...nothing much," she admitted, eventually, "at the moment."

"I was thinking I might get my toes done in a bit," Irene shared, wiggling her (red-painted and still flawless) toes at Amaya. "Maybe see if they do mud baths, that sort of thing. Might be fun, if you're game. My treat."

Though, of course, the holy grail of spa treatments went unsaid: Irene desperately wanted to someday coax Amaya into letting someone try relaxing her hair a bit.

Irene Adler, what in the blazes did you have against those poor spa workers by subjecting them to any of that, most of all to Amaya's hair?

"Might be fun," she echoed, with a skeptical look Irene's way, "to take a bath...in mud. Isn't that antithetical to whole entire concept of a bath?"

Perhaps they'd like a challenge! And to be wildly overtipped for their efforts!

"The mud usually draws nasty gunk out of your skin, and then you rinse the whole thing off," Irene corrected her, having to grin at that very logical conclusion. "Less mud-mud, more a...very spendy mud-like substance. It's heavenly, really."

"I would express concern that anyone would spend good money on any kind of mud or mud-like substance," said Amaya, "but I've seen some of the price tags on your clothes."

And some of her own now, too!

"And have I steered you wrong yet?" Irene wondered, sliding her sunglasses down to raise a brow at Amaya over them. "Usually whatever I'm after is worth the price."

Even the mud, believe it or not!

Amaya softly snorted at that, which did nothing to help her keep the wry little smirk at the corner of her mouth at bay. Because, no, actually, Irene hadn't steered her wrong in many things, there were definitely receipts to back that one up.

So she just shook her head a little and allowed, "I mean, I guess it's got to be pretty good mud if you're willing to even go anywhere near it..."

Nihi Sumba, Sumba Island, Indonesia, Tuesday Morning

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